What is the Meriter Pediatric Center?

I am so excited! Not only is this my first opportunity to write a blog, but also the long-awaited opening of the Meriter Pediatric Center is only a day away! On Tuesday, May 18th, the hard work of so many over the past two years will finally come to life. A Pediatric Center is a new concept for many of us, so I thought I would take this opportunity to explain what you can expect of a visit to the Meriter Pediatric Center.

The Meriter Pediatric Center is an 8-bed unit, located adjacent to the Emergency Department, which is staffed by Nurses, Physician Assistants, Pediatricians, and Emergency Physicians, all of whom are trained to care for children. The Center was designed specifically with children and their families in mind, and will centralize care for the majority of children receiving emergency and inpatient services at Meriter Hospital. For children 17 years of age and younger who come to Meriter for non-life-threatening emergency visits, there are 5 exam rooms dedicated to their care, along with a pediatric-only waiting area. There are also three inpatient beds which will be reserved for children 15 years of age and younger who require hospital admission for observation, further treatment or post-surgical care.

Outside of the Pediatric Center, children will continue to be cared for across the entire hospital for a host of other services, including outpatient surgical procedures, medical imaging procedures, and therapy visits. In addition, patients with severe illness and injury will continue to be cared for in the main emergency department. Children ages 16 and 17 years who require hospitalization will be admitted to the appropriate specialty unit, but will be cared for by pediatricians, surgeons or family medicine physicians.

I hope that you and your child never need the services of the Meriter Pediatric Center. But if you do, know that your child will be in the excellent hands of caring and professional staff who are all dedicated to providing the best care possible for children.